Board of Directors

Josef Levy

President

Josef Levy was employed by the City of Long Beach and was a Commander with the Long Beach Police Department. During his 28-year career, he worked assignments in patrol, gangs, internal affairs, hostage negotiations, media relations and commanded a patrol division before his retirement in 2012.

Josef spent the majority of his career building partnerships and improving police-community relations by dismantling stereotypes and barriers in some of the toughest neighborhoods. He has been credited with helping to change the culture of the Long Beach Police Department by making it a more inclusive police force.

In June 2007, Commander Levy was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Following his diagnosis, Levy co-founded the National Law Enforcement Cancer Support Foundation. As a survivor, he has made it a priority to supporting others with cancer and speaks about “living each day to the fullest and not sweating the small stuff.”

Commander Levy is now President of his firm, Embassy Consulting Services, LLC and continues to utilize his skills, experience and passion to educate others on the importance of building and maintaining safe, respectful and inclusive communities. Josef has been recognized with various prestigious awards and has been recognized at the Congressional level.

Heather Williams, PsyD

Vice President & Director of Peer Support and Mental Health

Heather Williams was a Program Director with CSP Victim Assistance Programs for 14 years and oversaw all special victim programs which included Homicide, Sexual Assault, Gangs, and Domestic Violence. After responding to an active shooter event in 2003 in Irvine, CA she created the CSP Crisis Response Team.

As the coordinator of the Crisis Response Team, Heather spent years responding to countless critical incidents to mitigate the trauma experienced by victims, witnesses and the community. In 2011, she responded to the Salon Meritage active shooter incident in Seal Beach, CA. In 2014, after developing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Peer Support Program, Heather was hired as their first Regional Peer Support Coordinator. Heather coordinated a team of almost 100 OCSD personnel, responded to critical incidents 24/7 and coordinated an emotional wellness campaign.

Heather co-founded the Orange County Association of Peer Supporters (OCAPS) after recognizing the impact of a critical incident or LODD that compromises an entire department. She works in partnership with police departments countywide to coordinate mutual aid when an agency is compromised.

After spending 5 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as the Regional Peer Support Coordinator, Heather elected to take her passion to another level and in 2019, established Premier First Responder Psychological Services. As a licensed psychologist, Heather is providing culturally competent services to individuals and couples and assists public safety professionals with treatment in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Additionally, Heather assists public safety departments develop and sustain peer support programs, provides 24/7 critical incident response, facilitates a 2-step model of critical incident debriefing and active shooter response and recovery coordination/response services.

Heather provides training as a trainer/consultant with Embassy Consulting Services to all populations in public safety, criminal justice and medical personnel on a number of topics including, but not limited to; The Impact of Trauma, Building Resiliency, POST Certified Basic Peer Support Course and a 1-day POST Certified Critical Incident Response for Peer Support Course. Heather also speaks at conferences and to police and fire academies about the stressors and traumas of public safety with the goal of building resiliency.

Heather is a Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) certified instructor, has her BA Degree in Psychology, MA Degree in Criminal Justice, and a PsyD in Psychology. Heather is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Director of Mental Health Services for Halos4Heroes, a nonprofit serving first responders, and is the Vice President/Director of Peer Support & Mental Health for the National Law Enforcement Cancer Support Foundation.
On a personal note, Heather’s mom died from breast cancer in 2007. There is nothing in life that prepares us for the death of a parent. Being there for others during their most difficult time is about wanting to help build resiliency and pay it forward. After all, that is what her mom showed her throughout her lifetime.

Robert Griffith

Wellness Coordinator

Bob Griffith has been a Reserve Officer with the La Palma Police Department in Southern California since 1992. He works out of Patrol and Detective Divisions and is a member of the North Orange County SWAT team. Prior to La Palma he served as a Reserve Deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Orange County, California for 7 years.

Bob is a native of Southern California and has been married to his wife, Linda since 1971. Linda is a Free Lance Illustrator and Artist with dozens of children’s books to her credit. He has one adult daughter and 2 grandchildren. Bob holds a Bachelor’s Degree and MBA in Business Management.

Bob retired after a 30 year career with an International Aerospace Staffing and Project Engineering Company in Irvine, California. He currently serves as a volunteer with the University of California, Irvine Medical Center as a member of the UCI Health Patient Family Advisory Board.

Bob was diagnosed with Melanoma in 2000, and by 2002 it had progressed to Stage 4. After several extensive surgeries and intense chemo therapy he was told he had 3 to 9 months to live. This was after a radical neck dissection, and having 24 inches of his small intestines removed at UCI Medical Center. Bob was then put on 2 years of maintenance bio-chemo therapy at the Angeles Clinic in Los Angeles. Bob has been cancer free for 12 years.

Bob considers it a privilege to assist others in their fight against cancer.

Nick Johnson

Secretary

Nick Johnson is an active Police Officer with the City of Irvine where he has served since 2015. Prior to serving the City of Irvine, Nick was worked for the City of La Palma where he served for nearly eleven years. As a police officer, Nick has held many different assignments including Investigations, SWAT, Sniper, K9 Officer, Field Training Officer, and Explorer Advisor.

Nick was born and raised in Orange County, California. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and where he met his wife, Cathy. After college, Nick settled in southern Orange County where he and Cathy married in 2006 are now raising their three young boys.

In February 2006, only nine months after graduating the police academy and being hired by the City of La Palma, Nick was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia and endured three rounds of intense Chemotherapy. Today, Nick has been in remission for over 15 years and feels great. He continues to mentor those who are affected by cancer and believes his experience will help those who have yet to begin their journey.